Sealing cap for cans and the like



March 3, 1953 K. E. ROSE-NLOF 2,630,237

SEALING CAP FOR CANS AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 5, 1950 IN VEN TOR.

I 1| l7 2| 'KENNETH E. ROSENLOF ATTORNEY l atented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SEALING CAP FOR CANS AND THE LIKE Kenneth E.Rosenlof, Portland, Oreg.

Application December 5, 1950, Serial No. 199,185

1 Claim. 1

This invention relates in general to closures for open mouth containersfor foods or liquids, such as glasses, cups, etc, but, moreparticularly, to a closure or cap suitable for use with an opened cancontaining food products or other material which will deteriorate whenthe can contents are exposed to the air.

Especially this invention is directed to the providing of a sealingclosure for an opened can of food where a portion of the food is left inthe opened can and it is desired to keep the remaining food in the canfor a short time, for example in a refrigerator or other suitable place.

As is well known, when opened cans of food are kept in the ordinaryhousehold refrigerator temporarily until the contents of the can areentirely used, it is essential to keep the opened can covered, not onlyto prevent the food or other material in the opened can from drying out,due to the evaporation of moisture therefrom, but, which is moreimportant, for sanitary reasons and for retarding the deterioration ofthe can contents, which deterioration begins more or less immediatelywhen the can is opened. When an opened can of food is kept outside of aclosed refrigerator the necessity of keeping the can properly covered isof course even greater.

A very important example of the keeping of unused portions of cannedfood in opened cans is to be found in the use of canned foods forinfants. Especially prepared canned foods of this nature have come intoextensive use during the past few years. Although the popular and moreor less standard size of the can in which baby foods are now sold issmall, as a general rule all of the contents of a can of baby food arenot used up at a single meal and the unused portion is frequently keptover in the container or can until a subsequent meal. The necessity thenof keeping the opened can tightly covered will be readily appreciated,especially if the canned food is used while traveling.

While my invention may be employed with any opened can or with any otheropen mouth container, for which a temporary sealing cap or cover isrequired, the most important use and need for the improved sealing capwhich comprises my invention undoubtedly will be found in connectionwith bady food cans. Accordingly my cap is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings as used with a can of this more or lessstandardized type and size. However, my invention is not of course to beunderstood as specifically limited to any particular open mouthcontainer.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an improved sealing capof the type above described which can easily be set in place on, andmaintained in sealing contact with, the top of an open can or other opencylindrical container, and which also can at any time be easily removedtherefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing capwhich will be capable of being used repeatedly on cans or containershavmg the same, or substantially the same, outside and inside diametersrespectively at their open mouths or tops.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved sealing capwhich can be kept absolutely sanitary.

An additional object is to provide an improved sealing cap which canreadily be made from any suitable flexible or resilient material such asrubber, or preferably plastic, and which can be manufactured and sold ata very reasonable cost.

A further and very important object of the invention is to provide sucha cap which will have a tighter and more effective sealing contact withthe can or similar container upon which it is placed, so that theperishable food or other product in the opened can can be kept better,more safely and more conveniently than is pos sible with several typesof removable covers or caps for opened cans at present in general publicuse.

A still further object is to provide a removable sealing cover or capfor opened cans which will remain in place, maintain its seal, andprevent leakage from the opened covered can even when the covered can isinadvertently tipped over or placed on its side.

These objects I have been able to attain by making my improved cap insuch a Way that a sealed-in annular dead air chamber will be maintamedaround the outside wall of the can, within the outer peripheral flangeof the cap and below the seal between the top rim of the can and thecap, thus in effect providing an added seal between can and cap; andfurther by forming my sealing cap and employing the same in the mannerhereinafter briefly described with reference to the accompanyingdrawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved sealing cap by itself;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of a cylindrical can, of the type in whichprepared food for infants is now generally sold, showing my sealing capin place over the opened top of the can, with a porof the cap and top ofthe can shown in sec,-

Fig. 3 is an elevation illustrating the placing of the cap in positionon the can;

Fig. 4 is a similar elevation illustrating the removing of the cap fromthe top of the can;

Fig. is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the cap drawn to a largerscale, the cap being in the normal sealing position illustrated in Fig.2, with the corresponding portion of the can shown in broken lines forthe sake of clarity; and

Fig. 6 is a similar fragmentary sectional elevation of the cap insealing position on an open can, the usual paper wrapper or label alsobeing indicated on the outside wall of the can.

In Figs. 2, 3, and 4 the cylindrical wall of the baby food can isindicated in general by the reference character ID. The can is assumedto be formed with the usual bottom which extends-over and around thebottom edge of the cylindrical wall, forming the bottom seam I I. It iscustomary for the top of the can to form a similar seam with the topedge of the cylindrical wall, such top seam being indicated at I2 inFigs. 3 and 4. When the can is opened the circular eXpanse of the coveris ordinarily cut out and removed, leaving the seam-forming portion ofthe cover still attached to the top edge of the wall. This upperseam-forming, inverted U -shaped, remaining portion of the cover isshown more clearly in Fig, 6, having an inner wall I2a, an outer wallI20 and the connecting top section I2b.

My improved sealing cap, which, as previously mentioned, may be made ofrubber or any suitable flexible semi-resilient material, but which Iprefer to make of a flexible plastic composition, includes a main topportion I3, which is preferably slightly convex or dome-shaped. At theperiphery of its inside face this dome-shaped top portion I3 joins 9,downwardly-extending annular inside rim flange I4 (shown more clearly inFigs. 5 and 6) An outer annular extension of the cap beyond the insiderim flange I4 is made of increased thickness and forms, with the outerwall of the rim flange I4, an upwardly-extending, inverted U-shaped slotor groove I5, the width of which is very slightly narrower than thethickness of the top seam I2. This slot or groove I5, as apparent fromFig. 6, is designed to fit down tightly over the top seam I2 when thecap is set in place, forming a continuous sealing connection with thesurface of the portions I211, I2?) and I2c of the top seam I2. Theflexibility of the material from which the cap is made enables thisgroove I5 to be pushed down in place with a snug fit on the seam I2 whenthe cap is set in position on the opened can, and also enables the capgroove to be pulled up from the seam without too much difficulty orstrain when the cap is to be removed from the can.

The outer annular extension of the cap turns downwardly beyond'thegroove I5 and forms an annular, outwardly-bowed, outside wall portion I6of decreasing thickness, adapted to extend a short distance down overthe side wall of the can when the cap is in place, as shown in Fig. 2.I'he bottom edge of the rim of this outside wall portion I6 has aninside periphery with a diameter not greater, and preferably veryslightly less, than the outside diameter of the can wall It], so thatwhen the cap is set in place on the opened can, with this outside wallportion I6 encompassing the upper part of the can wall, as shown in Fig.2, the bottom edge of, the portion I6 will have a tight sealing contactwith the'ca'n wall. Preferably this bottom edge of the wall I6 of thecap 4 is formed with an inside bead or inturned edge of greaterthickness, as shown at I7 in Figs. 5 and 6, to strengthen the bottomedge against possible rupture in the placing or removing of the cap andto present a wider and firmer sealing edge to engage the outer face ofthe can wall.

Due to the fact that the wall portion I6 of the cap is outwardly-bowedthere will be an annular sealed-in air space I8 (Fig. 6) between the canand the surrounding cap wall, which in effect becomes a dead air spacewhen the cap is in position on the opened can. Not only does the bottomedge of the wall portion I6 of the cap furnish an added seal between capand can, and, by providing a further grip for the cap, aid in preventinginadvertent displacing of the cap should the covered can be turned overon to its side, but the sealed-in air in the space I8 itself becomes, toa certain extent, an additional sealing medium blocking the escape ofmoisture from the can around the seam I2, should there be any tendencyfor the groove I5 of the can to loosen up, or blocking any tendency foroutside air to pass into the cap closure under the bottom rim of the capWall I6.

While the top portion of the cap wall is of greater thickness, so as toprovide sufficient depth or height for the groove I5 and sufficientstrength and sealing clamping pressure at this portion of the cap, Ihave found it very desirable to make the lower part of the cap wall I6relatively thin adjacent the bottom sealing edge and the bead IT, asshown, so a to afford more flexibility and resiliency in that portion ofthe cap wall. This not only facilitates the placing and removing of thecap on to and from the top of the can but also enables the outer wall ofthe cap to conform readily to any irregularities in the can wall, as forexample when part of the can wall has become flattened by forciblecontact with some external object. At the same time the bottom sealingedge of the cap wall, thus at the bead I1, will have a tight sealingcontact with the can wall, unless of course the can is so badly damagedthat the wall becomes indented, which would rarely occur and practicallynever as near the top rim of the can as the portion covered by the capwall.

An integral finger tab I9 extends outwardly from one portion of the capwall I6 as an aid in the removal of the cap from the can. The top of thecap is preferably also formed with an upstanding flange ring or bead 20,concentric with the inside rim flange I4 and of approximately the sameoutside diameter, so that a second can of identical size may be set ontop of the bottom can which has been covered with the cap, thusconserving space in a refrigerator. In such case the flange ring or bead20 of the cap will fit inside the bottom seam of the second can and holdthe latter against slipping laterally off from the cap.

The cap, as described, can be forcibly pushed down into sealing positionon a can of proper size and similarly forcibly pulled upwardly off ofthe can in the usual manner. However, my cap lends itself to beingplaced in position in an easier manner and also to be removed moreeasily. These preferred ways in which the cap can be set in position andcan be removed are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4 respectively.

To set the cap in sealing position (Fig. 3) one side of the cap i setdown on the opened top of the can so that one portion of the cap wall I6will extend-down, the full distance over the outside wall of the can andthe corresponding portion of the top seam-sealing groove [5 of the capwill be set down over the top seam. Then the person setting the cap inplace runs his thumb or finger diametrically across the top of the capfrom the positioned portion to the opposite side (thus from left toright as viewed in Fig. 3), pressing downwardly on the cap while doingso. The downward pressure and transverse movement of the finger not onlypresses the dome-shaped top of the cap down, but causes the side wall 19to flex and stretch and slide down over the outside of the seam 12.Finally running the finger around the periphery of the top of the capwill insure the groove I5 being set down ti htly on the seam 12 inproper sealing position, while the bottom rim of the cap wall Itmaintains sealing contact with the outside wall of the can.

In removing the cap the thumb is placed una der the tab H) (as shown inFig. 4) and pushed upwardly while another finger of the hand pressesdownward slightly at the center of the dome-shaped top. This facilitatesthe flexing of the cap in the manner illustrated and enables it to beremoved quickly and easily.

These suggested and preferred ways of placing and removing the cap alsoprevent injury to the cap and thus tend to prolong its life. Withordinary care the cap can be used over and over without appreciablylosing its sealing qualities and of course the cap i easily sterilized.

Generally cans, particularly cans of prepared baby food, have an outsidewrapper or label extending around and secured on the outside wall,usually almost entirely covering the wall. It is not necessary to removethis outer wrapper or label when using my improved cap since the bottomrim of the cap Wall l5 will slide down over and form sealing contactwith the outside surface of the wrapper. This is illustrated in Fig. 6in which the can is indicated as having a wrapper 2| coveringsubstantially its outer cylindrical face. In fact it will be found thatsuch a wrapper will probably contribute to the making of a tighter sealwith the bead H and bottom edge of the cap wall I6.

I claim:

A cap of the character described, formed of 6 flexible and resilientmaterial, adapted to provide a sealing closure for an opened can, saidcap comprising a main dome-shaped top portion, a downwardly-extendinginside rim flange of greater thickness than said dome-shaped top portionadapted to fit within and have sealing contact with the inside of therim at the top of said opened can, an outer annular portion forming aninverted U-shaped groove with said inside flange,

said outer annular portion fitting tightly over the outside of the rimof said opened can, a wall extending downwardly from said outer annularportion for considerable distance below the bottom of said inside rimflange and adapted to be positioned on the outside face of said can,said wall being outwardly bowed and being of decreasing thicknessdownwardly, but having an inwardlyturned bottom edge of increasedthickness adapted to form a tight sealing contact with the outer surfaceof said can, thereby providing a sealed-in annular air space around theoutside of said can adjacent the rim of said can when said cap is inplace, said sealed-in annular air space then serving as an additionalsealing medium, and a finger tab extending radially outwardly on saidwell to facilitate the lifting of the adjacent portion of said capupwardly from sealing position preparatory to the removal of said capfrom said can.

KENNETH E. ROSENLOF.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 700,653 Jobson May 20, 1902891,199 Speece June 16, 1908 1,158,622 Blakesle-e Nov. 2, 1915 1,355,973Hollingsworth Oct. 19, 1920 1,706,249 Naum Mar. 19, 1929 1,902,892Pottenger et a1. Mar. 28, 1933 2,218,303 Comer Oct, 15, 1940 2,266,270Roth Dec. 16, 1941 2,328,084 Lomax et al Aug. 31, 1943 2,487,400 TupperNov. 8, 1949 2,567,322 Curtis Sept. 1-1, 1951

